The Skycutter Conflict
The Skycutter Conflict was a state of geopolitical tension within Alderwood, Khanduras. It all began when Skycutter, an ancient angelic weapon, marked its location upon a great plateau on the outskirts of the city. Conflict escalated after four powers took up arms to 'guard' the heavenly sword, including the three great houses of Alderwood and a task force assembled by Alec Kylar. The first phase of the conflict began one week after the discovery of Skycutter on January 15th. Alec Kylar and the Rune Rogues, shadow denizens of the surrounding region, consolidated its control over the plateau, while the noble houses of Alderwood began a strategy of regional containment to challenge one another, extending military and financial aid to claiming the angelic weapon. As months passed, assassinations and proxy fights eventually broke out within the region; puppet leaders were hired or coerced from surrounding hill tribes and mercenary factions. During the climax of the conflict, Alec and Maxmillian assembled a large force and launched an assault on the remaining belligerents, and the sword itself was eventually claimed by the latter on July 22nd after a skirmish upon the plateau. Many of the denizens of Alderwood rejoiced after the sword's departure in the hands of Maxmillian, as it had ultimately caused more devastation than harmony. Skycutter was brought to the Skovos Isles for the Oracle caste to study and protect, and in return rewarded Maxmillian with an Askari bride. The conflict created a long series of ramifications in the years following, the most notable was the inception of a strict religious committee to govern the city after the crumble of the major noble houses that left behind political and social unrest. Following an uprising by strict religious fanatics and warrior zealots for control over Alderwood, high priests implemented traditional rights. During the conflict, William Corbray returned from exile and united the vassal houses of Alderwood and removed the corrupt Zakarum influence from the city. However, William's return forced House Corbray into a civil war fought between Corbray loyalists and Han's personal followers. History The stage was set for war when Skycutter fell from the High Heavens in the late night of Janurary 7th on the outskirts of Alderwood. Who or what caused the sword to fall from the sky remains unclear, and the former owner is unknown. The Skycutter landed conveniently upon a plateau on a hill overseeing Alderwood. Alec Kylar later speculated that the sword was lost and that its presence had no real purpose, thus he sought to bring it to the Oracle Cast - which has experience with angelic artifacts - for study and safe keeping. The value of the Skycutter came with it landed within the boulder upon the plateau, which was adjacent to the Alder Lake. Drawing its energies from the infinite angelic artifact, the Alder Lake began acting as a mystical fount, sending its potent energies out across the surrounding land to nourish life in all its wondrous forms. The only downside was that the sword was unmovable. Also, the waters from the lake, when consumed, aided the citizens of Alderwood in sickness and health, which in turn sparked interest from the three major noble houses of the city. The Discovery In the early morning of Janurary 8th, a group of peasents drank from the water and immedieatly fet its mystical powers. There after, a farmer named Jedd discovered the Skycutter while passing through the road that lead over the plateau. He attempted to remove the angelic sword from the boulder but to no prevail, alas he returned to Alderwood to inform the constables. Obsessed with the weapon he found, Jedd claimed the mysterious sword as his own since he found it and lead a party of citizens to its location, among them Terji who took notice of Jedd's desire. fought and won against his rival hilltribes. His rise in power and his affiliation to Lord Jerald made him a key figure.]] During this period, two major factors occurred that fueled the coming conflict, the first was the rise in social power of the mysterious warrior priest known as The Red Hand who influenced Lord Damon Lothston as a puppet leader; together, both local leaders converted followers of Zakarum and members of House Lothston into devout soldiers of faith. The faith militant, lead by The Red Hand, took an open and bold interest in the Skycutter, alas their preaching was heard in all corners of the city. The second factor was the uniting of several small regional hill tribes under Chief Roklar, a renowned warrior who possessed great cunning and brutality; Roklar had held a long, secret non-aggressive pact with Lord Jerald many years prior and both men occasional worked together in mischievous plots. The farmer Jedd was later executed by members of House Dunn when he attempted to claim the sword from the stone, but it was discovered that Skycutter was unmovable from the stone. The Great Houses of Lothston and Corbray opposed Lord Jerald for the exection. When a heated debate turned into a bloody brawl between Lord Jerald and Lord Winston upon the plateau, Alec and his Rune Rogues broke up the conflict. Within days, all three Great Houses had positioned themselves upon the plateau as well as the fields based beneath. House Lothston soon gained the support of the townsfolk when The Red Hand propagated that Skycutter belonged in possesion of the Zakarum faith, agitating House Dunn and Corbray. After nearly a week of segregation and unrest, all three Houses prepared for the brink of war whilst the Rune Rogues cemented their role as regulators. Phase One executes Lord Edward after the purge of House Varela. This brutal act coerced House Reyes into supporting House Dunn.]] The conflict began in the early morning on Janurary 15th, one week after Jedd's discovery of Skycutter. House Dunn drew first blood when Lord Jerald and ten of his finest warriors began raiding and slaughtering members of House Varela. Opposing Lord Jerald was Lord Edward of House Varela who betrayed fealty to House Dunn and switched sides to House Corbray. The inception of this brutal action was sparked by Lord Jerald's informants catching wind of the conspiracy before House Varela publicly declared their allegiance. In the dead of night, Lord Jerald and his warriors purged all but Lord Edward, who cursed House Dunn for their cutthroat politics and dishonorable tactics; Jerald then proceeded to stab Edward multiple times and left the corpses of House Varela in the family mansion. The next day, after learning of the purge of House Varela, House Reyes and their bannermen swore fealty to House Dunn in fear that they would face the same fate. In the meantime, Sir Moritz Vajda renounced his faith in the Zakarum after he accused Damon Lothston of being a puppet leader of the Red Hand. As a result, Moritz and his beautiful wife Jayna of House Rainlore, a vassal to House Corbray, were sentenced to death for heresy by the Red Hand. Before being burned at the stake upon the plateau of the Skycutter, in which the Red Hand and his followers viewed as a human sacrifice, Jayna was able to send word via courier to her family of her imminent death. Moritz and Jayna were brutally executed during the hour of the wolf; a metal mask with sharp spikes on the inside was placed over faces of Moritz and Jayna and hammered into their flesh before being burned. (left) and her husband (right) are captured and later executed by The Red Hand and his Faith Militant. House Corbray responded by declaring war on House Lothston.]]Following the Purge of House Varela and the executions of Moritz and Jayna, House Corbray declared war against House Dunn and House Lothston for their 'barbaric and belligerent actions' and summoned their bannermen on Janurary 17th. Lord Jerald immediately responded later that day by capturing, torturing and beheading Lord Winston's squire, a boy of twelve, and mounting his head on a pike outside his mansion. Elsewhere, Lord Damon assembled all the community leaders within the Zakarum church to reform the faith militia; this process enforced a multitude of religious laws in a state of clericalism and commoners began focusing their attention on the religion. Aside from war and politics, the Skycutter brought harmony among the denizens of Alderwood, as many commoners and lowborn were rejoiced to find the positive affects of the Skycutter; water became more accessible and pure, sicknesses and illnesses faded over night, and crops and plants bloomed to maximum efficiency, etc. Though the occasional bloodshed and violence occurred in dark corners of the city, most of the citizens took little heed to the coming war as most were too occupied with their newfound prosperity. The mayor preferred that the conflict remain outside the city, and that the belligerents involved at claiming the sword do not interfere with the well-being and safety of the denizens. On Janurary 27th, the belligerents began marking their claim upon the plateau, but Alec Kylar and his group, the Rune Rogues, made it there first and negotiated a peace treaty among the lords of Alderwood and that weekly occupation of the plateau would be spread evenly among the belligerents: House Dunn would have rights on Monday and Tuesday, House Corbray on Wednesday and Thursday, and House Lothston on Friday and Saturday. Sunday would not only belong to Alec and his associates but also a truce between all belligerents would commence for the entirety of the day. While proxy skirmishes and rival fights happened daily within the streets of Alderwood, no actual battles took place during the first phase of the war. Lord Jerald stonewalled his enemies except for Alec, as he feared the Dark Templar and the rumors of his origins. Jerald also capitalized during the initial idleness by buying out all the smiths and weapon makers in the city. Lastly, Jerald held secret meetings with Chieftain Roklar of the hilltribes and established a war pact between his noblehouse and Roklar's wildlings. Meanwhile, Lord Damon and the Red Hand focused primarily on herding the common folk into the fold and gaining their support in the war by declaring that the Skycutter rightfully belonged to the Zakarum church, in doing so named Lord Winston and Lord Jerald as infidels. Witnessing the powerful uprisings from Houses Dunn and Lothston, Lord Winston focused less so on numbers and resources and rather more so on political power by gathering a majority of the vassal houses to his side. Alas, the table was set when Lord Jerald held sway over resources and information, Lord Winston held sway over strength and unity, and Lord Damon held sway over politics and large numbers. As the three major belligerents continued their struggle over the realm, Alec marked and regulated all the territories of Alderwood as an acting arbiter; this aloud the Rune Rogues to sway the tide of war to the side they chose and provide accredited diplomacy between all the factions involved in the conflict. Whenever and wherever a dispute occurred, Alec and the Rune Rogues did their best to defuse the situation. In the following weeks after the conflict began, word spread to the neighboring cities of the Skycutter's sudden arrival; many travelers from all corners of Khanduras journeyed to the city to see the spectacle of the Skycutter, and to drink from the Alder Lake for healing. Despite their differences and conflict, all three major houses of Alderwood made the unanimous decision to tax citizens and travelers for accessing the lake's newfound energees. As for the Skycutter itself, no one outside the peace agreement was aloud to visit or go near the artifact upon the plateau; unwanted trespassers were often times captured, heavily fined or forced to leave, and in rare occasions were killed or publicly executed. The Riot of Alderwood Tension grew daily as the lords of each major house sought ways of eliminating their enemies. When the murders, brawls and assassinations began spilling from the alleys and into the streets, the citizens of Alderwood began growing weary of the violence and imminent battle. Feburary 24th marked the first major skirmish in broad daylight on the city street between forces of Sir Marklin Vanko, vassal to House Corbray, and Sir Robert Avril, vassal to House Lothston. Later that same day, another fight broke out in the market place that resulted in several deaths including three inocent civilians who were mistaken during the fight as belligerents. Upon learning of the deaths of innocents, Alec Kylar and his Rune Rogues began enforcing strict regulations during nighttime. He started by confronting Sir Marklin and Lord Winston, inducing them to keep the violence off the streets. While Lord Winston agreed to Alec's regulation, Sir Marklin remained reluctant to trust Alec due to his mysterious nature. Meanwhile, the Rune Rogues intercepted several planned assassination attempts on several key figures such as the Red Hand and Lady Leona from Lord Jerald's minions on the following night. By Feburary 28th all three major houses remained armed and suited imminent attacks. On Feburary 29th, a citywide riot took place within the city plaza, later known as the Riot of Alderwood. Shortly prior to its inception, Lord Winston summoned all his followers to the town plaza to address the citizens of Alderwood. He declared that House Corbray would no longer entice violence in the city so long as the citizens abide by martial law. Lord Winston also honored the three deceased citizens who died the previous week. However, loud minority of zealous citizens began to jape and jest at Lord Winston, Sir Marklin and Lady Leona as "heretics!", "betrayers!", and "enemies of the Zakarum!" which sparked a bold reaction from House Corbray's procession. Among the crowd was Lord Damon and his bannermen as well as Lord Jerald and his enforcers. As the mob taunted Lord Winston, Lord Robert of House Avril stepped up and provoked Lady Leona of her niece's recent demise at the hands of the Red Hand - who's current whereabouts remained unknown at the time - by calling Jayna a "betrayer of the light!" and thus promoted a sudden stand-off between both nobles. The conflict quickly escalated when Lord Jerald announced from the crowd that Robert would surely win in a match against a woman, which in turn prompted the crowd to cheer for Robert. Sir Marklin seized an opportunity to slay Lord Robert from behind by cutting his neck open; this angered the crowd and shouted curses showered down on the party, further inflaming the situation. is assassinated by Lord Jerald amidst the chaos. His sudden demise initially went unnoticed, but many suspect the latter's involvement.]] The Riot of Alderwood began when an unknown person from the crowd, many speculated to be the Red Hand in disguise, threw a burning bible at Lord Winston. When the object struct him and caught his cloak on fire, his personal guards drew their weapons and began cutting down the mob that surrounded them. Lord Jerald and his enforces immediately withdrew from the crowd, and during the chaos they managed to assassinate Lord Lorent Powell without being seen among the chaos. Meanwhile, Lord Winston's younger half-brother Hans and the bannermen carved a path through the mob with their swords, barely managing to rush Lord Winston, Lady Leona and Lord Hyle and rest of the procession to the security of their mansion. Sir Marklith and his followers stayed behind to continue fighting in an flagrant act of insubordination and belligerence. The riot went on for several hours, and almost half the population of the city participated. Sir Willem Grandison lead the Rune Rogues in a counter-attack against a fraction of the mob that had set fire to the Mayor's Mansion and several other buildings. Remaining in the riot was Sir Marklith and a dozen of his soldiers cutting down citizens, regardless if they were belligerent or innocent; his brutality made him public enemy number one for the entirety of the riot. Meanwhile, Alec remained occupied at the plateau when Sir Athyn, master-at-arms of House Dunn, staged and uprising against the bannermen of House Corbray that were stationed with the Skycutter. Sir Athyn and several of his followers began by staging a coup against the soldiers who watched over the plateau. Anticipating the Dark Templar, Athyn eventually gained the upper hand by catching Alec off guard with the use of a spellblade, only for Athyn to be impaled from behind by Taylor and later executed by Alec. (left) faces off against the Red Hand (right).]] Marklin's group targeted several key figures during the riot, including the Red Hand who was attempting to flee from the chaos. The Zakarum leaders proved successful at containing the riot, but Marklith responded by attempting to launch a swift attack on the Red Hand outside the church, but the church refused him entrance. The Red Hand attempted to sneak When a large mob of zealous citizens and members of the Faith Militant surrounded and attacked Marklin's group, . Widespread looting, arson, and killings occurred during the riot, and all three major houses suffered damage and disarray. Order was only restored later that day after members of the Rune Rogues intervened against the brutal assaults and the religious leaders of the Faith Militia spoke out to calm the angry mobs. Forty-eight people in total died during the riot and many others were injured or raped. Phase Two The King's Court Phase Three The Bride of the Askari Showdown at Skycutter Plateau